Tevva, a British startup that specializes in developing commercial electric vehicles, has launched its first truck with a hydrogen booster with a range of up to 499 km. Tevva has raised US$ 140 million from investors and will start producing the fully electric 7.5 tonne truck by the end of this year.

Tevva targets production of a hydrogen fuel cell version of the 7.5-ton truck by 2023. After that, the Tilbury-based startup will produce 12-ton and 19-ton models. Hydrogen fuel cells are seen by some trucking industry practitioners as a long-term solution for commercial vehicles. This is because the weight is much lighter than the battery.

The constraint is the infrastructure for producing “green” hydrogen with renewable energy and fueling stations, which will likely not exist until the 2030s. Harsh Pershad, Tevva’s head of hydrogen, said the company is working closely with providers of hydrogen refueling options for fleet customers.